Next to Microsoft Windows and Office, the next most pirated piece of software is Photoshop. This isn’t much of a surprise – ask any one you know if they have a copy of this $600 piece of software and about half the time they’ll say yes.

But what alternatives do digital photographers have that don’t include felony software piracy? Being a Graphic Design professional, I had no idea. I’ve owned Photoshop since version 2.5, so I’ve never needed to hunt down alternatives. It wasn’t until I purchased my Wacom tablet that I discovered not only are there alternatives, but that some are pretty good. I have officially discovered Adobe Photoshop Elements.

My first impressions of this budget priced tool are generally good. While I wouldn’t use it to do a full build-out of a webpage, I would definitely use it to do simple compositing and photo editing. The basic tools are all there and the user interface is really set up to teach how to use the program as you go.

What I’m going to do over the next few weeks is document my experience learning how to use Photoshop Elements, including links to helpful Elements user sites, guides to projects that I’ve tried out and comparisons between the full program and this little brother. Hopefully you’ll be able to follow along with this discussion and provide your own tips too!

What’s great is that the program is bundled into tons of software packages and you might already have a copy installed on your computer! In fact, if you’ve bought a printer or scanner within the last few years, it’s very likely that you’ve got a CD with the install on it. So go head, check your the pile of discs you’ve collected and see if you’re ready to follow along. Play around with it and let me know what you think.